Watch the train crews of Charlie Comstock’s HO Bear Creek & South Jackson operate their trains using one- or two-person crews and DCC on the modeled date of January 31, 1952. See actual prototype-based operating procedures and watch the yardmaster, dispatcher, helper crew, and train crews solve the issues as they occur on live unrehearsed video!

I have been patiently waiting for more videos regarding operations and was a bit sadden to see this old footage. Don't get me wrong this video is interesting to watch but I would really like to see new layouts.

When I first started to watch this, I thought "This is kinda old". But, other than the lack of sound in some of the locos, and the low momentum, it would be hard to tell when it was filmed. It is, after all, sometime in the 50's! As it went along, I was suddenly impressed with the filming, if that's the right wording, in that I felt I was right there. The cameraman is a real professional! Of course, that's what it's all about. I thoroughly enjoyed being involved with the session. The conductor who was training the new engineer was certainly a real railroad employee. It showed. The final surprise was the credits at the end! Several elicited a chuckle from me. Bottom line? A thoroughly enjoyable presentation. This is what TMTV is all about. Bravo!

Operations are great to watch for all of us trying to learn how to do it correctly. I have Joe's DVD's on operations also, and really enjoy watching them, trying something, then going back to learn more. Looking forward to more more more ! I was surprised to see that Joe was the camera man. Great job !

Geez... I'd almost forgotten what was on this video. And I definitely had forgotten about the credit roll at the end - sort of a precursor of the credits for the Hot Trains - Alco Mania video. It's been almost eight years since Joe and I made this. The reason I did the video editing was Joe was insanely busy getting issue No.1 of Model Railroad Hobbyist out the door!

Man, there sure were a lot of areas with temporary track back then in 2009. When this was shot, the BC&SJ had only two miles of mainline laid out of four and construction on the peninsula was in a very early stage. Pocotello was still borrowing what is now the Siskiyou branch staging area (Coos Bay and Roseburg, Oregon). The scenery in Mill Bend was still in a highly unfinished state and there were hardly and finished structures there. Salem staging still was on the "aircraft carrier" (Rick Fortin's term for a movable staging area) above what was to become the Siskiyou staging area (currently Pocatello). And the BC&SJ was still running under track warrants (TWC).

Since then the peninsula has been completed with a backdrop installed along its full length, Pocatello and Salem are moved to main staging on the lower deck of the Peninsula. There's more scenery (though that's still a LONG way from completion). There's more trains, also and we've been running under Time Table Train Order since August 2013.

I'm kind of embarrased by the lack of scenery and all the temporary benchwork (and general mess everywhere) in South Jackson yard.

While I haven't posted any recent construction photos on the bcsjrr.com website, you can see a lot more of the railroad if you go to the Operations pages and click on Gallery, then select the new BC&SJ (as opposed to my old garage layout). Not a whole lot has happened scenically since the op session the BC&SJ hosted in August for the Op Sig at the 2015 national convention in Portland.

Kind of a time machine for me. I hope this was useful for y'all.

Charlie Comstock

ps. The credit roll for Hot Trains - Alco Mania - Volume 1 is also available on TrainMasters.tv if you'd like another batch of malarky...